A few weeks ago Rob from Mumkind sent over some products from their range for me to try.

“Created by experts in the field of pregnancy nutrition and with support from midwives, Mumkind offers a new and simple way to make sure you are including a range of nutrients in your daily diet. We all know its important to try and eat a healthy, balanced diet, but including Mumkind products will help you to ‘top up’ what you are already eating, because getting everything you and your baby need is not always easy. All the products are carefully formulated to help provide nutrients where there is a tendency to fall short.” Read the Mumkind story here.

They have a number of testimonials from happy customers and supporting comments from Dr Emma Derbyshire, a nutritionalist, and Dot Parry, an experienced midwife.

The Mumkind range includes:

Ginger Me Baby Lozenges– Ginger & Chamomile lozenges, designed to help with the nausea and soothe and calm. The lozenges are wrapped in clear wrappers and you are able to reuse the tub as it is microwavable and freezer proof safe.

Available in Sainsuburys. Ginger & Chamomile lozenges 48g tub – £3.49

Water Our Way – Water Enhancer– Similar to a squash or cordial, but apparently with no calories or carbs (the products use sweetener instead of sugar) the cordial contains Mumkinds’ blend of B vitamins to help reduce tiredness and fatigue.

Water Our Way helps you drink more water, keeps you hydrated and our blend of B vitamins helps reduce tiredness and fatigue.

What did I think of the Mumkind products?

I really liked both of the products. The lozenges had a mild and very pleasant taste. The ginger was not overwhelming and for someone who is not keen on chamomile, I could not detect chamomile at all to be honest. I’m not suffering from morning sickness at the moment so can’t comment on the effectiveness in that regard. But as a sufferer during all my three pregnancies I think the lozenges would have been very nice to suck on when the nausea was at its worse.

If your not a fan of the artificial sweetener flavour then you may want to give the drink enhancer a miss. But if this does not bother you then the little bottles are handy to pop in your bag and contain enough of the potent cordial to flavour up a number of bottles or glasses of water. I thought these were a great idea and handy for after pregnancy as well.

All in all I was impressed and would recommend. The only minus I can see is the price; they are not exactly cheap. But if you are planning on taking supplements anyway during or after pregnancy then as an alternative I think the prices are on a par.

The other point I would make is i think they are products to be enjoyed in moderation, not to be consumed constantly throughout the day….

If you go over to the Mumkind website now you can also win tickets to the 2014 Olympia Baby Show in London!

And a note to Rob at Mumkind – it would be nice to have the ingredients list for each product on your website. [Update – Rob has let me know that he is working on this as I type!]

PHE advises temporary suspension of heated home birthing pools filled in advance of labour in home settings.

Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England have temporarily advised against the home use of birthing pools with built-in heaters and recirculation pumps, potentially filled up to 2 weeks in advance of the birth. This follows a single case of Legionnaires’ disease identified in a baby born in this specific type of birthing pool at home. The baby is currently receiving intensive care treatment in hospital.

Samples taken from the heated birthing pool used have confirmed the presence of legionella bacteria, which cause Legionnaires’ disease. Tests are ongoing to establish if it is the same strain which infected the baby. This is the first reported case of Legionnaires’ disease linked to a birthing pool in England, although there have been 2 cases reported internationally some years ago.

NHS England has today issued a Patient Safety Alert rapidly notifying the healthcare system – and specifically midwives – to the possible risks associated with the use of these heated birthing pools at home. The alert recommends that heated birthing pools, filled in advance of labour and where the temperature is maintained by use of a heater and pump, are not used for labour or birth. In the meantime, a full risk assessment into their use is being carried out.

The majority of birthing pools used at home are filled from domestic hot water systems at the time of labour – these birthing pools do not pose the same risk and are excluded from this alert. There are no concerns about these types of pools as long as pumps are used solely to empty the pool and not for recirculation of warm water.

Professor Nick Phin, PHE’s head of Legionnaires’ disease, said:

This is an extremely unusual situation, which we are taking very seriously. As a precaution, we advise that heated birthing pools, filled in advance of labour and where the temperature is then maintained by use of a heater and pump, are not used in the home setting, while we investigate further and until definitive advice on disinfection and safety is available.

We do not have concerns about purchased or hired pools that are filled from domestic hot water supplies at the onset of labour, provided that any pumps are used solely for pool emptying.

PHE and relevant local authorities are investigating the infection control measures required for this type of birthing pool and local authorities will be working with the small number of companies who supply these heated birthing pools for use at home.

Louise Silverton, director for midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, said:

Women planning birth at home using a traditional pool that is filled when the woman is in labour or using a fixed pool in an NHS unit are not affected by this alert and should not be concerned. Birthing pools in hospitals are subject to stringent infection control procedures and monitoring. Home birthing pools filled during labour come with disposable liners and are only in place for a relatively short time period, reducing opportunity for bacterial growth.

Any women with concerns about using home birthing pools should contact their midwife or local maternity unit.

Legionnaires’ disease is extremely rare in childhood, with only 1 case in children aged 0 to 9 years reported in England between 1990 to 2011.The infection does not spread from person-to-person – people become infected with the bacteria through inhalation of contaminated water droplets.

What an amazing story.

One day a car mechanic watches a YouTube video on how to extract a lost cork from a wine bottle.

At 4 o’clock the next morning he suddenly wakes realising you could do the same thing to ease a difficult birth.

Viola, the rest is history.

As a woman who has had 3 natural births, 2 of those assisted with a ventouse, I have experienced first hand the discomfort and seen the physical trauma this procedure subjects to a new born baby’s head.

So what an extraordinary moment at 4am for Jorge Odon and for the world. Inventing a simple, low cost powerful alternative to the dangers of the traditional ventouse or forceps births. And a revelation for the third world.

Read about Jorge’s invention in the New York Times here, or on the Odon Device website here.

And the Ogdon Device has won the enthusiastic endorsement of the World Health Organisation.

I had a store bought pillow for my first two babies, and while it was adequate, it was too flat and kept riding away from me as I fed. This allowed baby to slip down between the pillow and me. Far from ideal.

What I wanted was a pillow that could be fastened to me and a pillow that was high enough so I did not have to prop it with cushions and other pillows.

So began my online search. And I came across a fantastic feeding pillow here. ‘Thrupenny Bits’ cockney rhyme for t**ts!) sell beautiful, trendy but practical feeding pillows that are also very portable and reasonably priced. (prices start at £33) I was instantly taken with them. However, and apologies to ‘Thrupenny Bits’, I had some left over Harlequin ‘Alina” furnishing fabric that would make a beautiful pillow and as I can sew a little I decided to try to make a feeding pillow myself. But if your not the sewing sort head over to ‘Thrupenny bits’ to purchase one.

I drew a template, half moon in shape with elongated ends that would become the ties, 65 cms across and 32 cms down.

Outer cover for the feeding pillow

Inner pillow.

Feeding pillow

And still easy to use now that she is 7 months

A fab and functional feeding pillow

Feeding Pillow – Do It Yourself and Go Anywhere With Ease!

Comfortable to use as a seat

Can be used to keep baby upright too. Cool!

I cut out 4 pieces on the material that was just over a meter long and 138cm wide. Two tops in the 100% soft cotton Harlequin furnishing fabric and two bottoms in a complimentary soft corduroy furnishing fabric. I decided on these fabrics as they are hardwearing and practical (I wash and tumble dry them both on low settings with no problems even though they state dry clean only). This made 2 covers; one for the pillow and one for the wash. I would have preferred another say 50cm length as I had to use the selvedge with the fabric branding on it. But now I think that looks kind of cool anyway…..

I also cut 2 identical pieces from some tough wearing plain calico I had lying around. This was for the inner pillow.

I then sewed the pieces together for the pillow and the two covers, fitting a long zip to the inner curve of each.

I filled the pillow with bean bag beads. This was a messy job as the balls are so light! But once done I was very pleased. I was also glad I had put in a long zip into the covers as it made inserting the filled inner pillow easy and simple.

The bag was a little full when I tried it so I simply sat a few times on the pillow to flatten it a little!

*After using for about 3 months the pillows need topping up as the beads do compress. I found this to be a nightmare – messy and difficult because of the extremely light and flyaway nature of the beads. (My Mum who helped can attest to this!) So I recommend, as thrupenny bits does, filling with hollow fibre instead.

So I am really pleased with the finished product. And as it ties to me I can stand and move with her still feeding. Although I stress, and double stress, I never move around without holding on to baby and the pillow. Otherwise baby would slide right off! But so practical.

And if you don’t feel like making one yourself – hop along to ‘Thrupenny bits’ to purchase one. They would also make a great gift.

Whether you love them or hate them, Coke have a brilliant new ad. Take a peek.

Here is my list of the top 10 must haves to get together and have ready for when your new baby comes along. All of the items on the list are items I have found indispensable, in other words, I would not be without. They would also be top baby gifts for new parents so add them to your baby shower gift list!

*Some of the product links are UK specific, please search for similar products for your location.